Millennium Hotels and Resorts has named Cinn Tan as chief commercial officer.
She brings more than 30 years of experience across Asia-Pacific, China, Europe and the US.
She joins from Pan Pacific Hotels Group, where she was chief commercial and marketing officer, and has previously held senior roles at Jin Jiang International and Ascott .
The Cairns Convention Centre has launched its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2026–2028, a framework designed to integrate First Nations cultures and economic opportunities into the venue’s global operations.
Endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, the plan was developed in collaboration with Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji Elder professor Henrietta Marrie.
The RAP outlines 17 specific actions and 82 deliverables focused on four core pillars: Relationships, Respect, Opportunities, and Governance. Key initiatives include the implementation of staff cultural awareness training, the development of a First Nations-inspired culinary menu, and a commitment to increasing procurement from Indigenous-owned businesses.
General Manager Janet Hamilton emphasised that the plan moves beyond symbolic gestures to create “lived and visible” change. “This plan strengthens our commitment to creating employment pathways for First Nations Peoples… (and ensuring) our industry sees reconciliation as something we do, not just something we say,” Hamilton stated.
The Centre, situated between two UNESCO World Heritage sites in a region home to 18 First Nations groups, aims to make cultural storytelling a central component of the delegate experience. Practical applications include featuring Indigenous art – such as Elverina Johnson’s Reef Connections in the main foyer – and prioritising First Nations suppliers for event programming and gifting.
As companies scale across borders, a new SAP Concur study reveals that South-east Asian corporate travel management is moving from simple cost control to total trip value.
The 2026 Southeast Asia Business Travel Pulse Survey, which surveyed over 150 travel decision-makers across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, indicates that the traditional race to the bottom on ticket prices is being replaced by a focus on traveller productivity and operational resilience.
The survey identifies a widening “expectation gap” between business travellers and travel managers. While business travellers now view flexibility as a prerequisite for business travel, travel managers are struggling with the manual work required to deliver it.
Key findings for South-east Asia include:
Flexibility is a must: 59.5% of regional travel managers identify flexibility in bookings and cancellations as a top three priority for their travellers.
Operational friction vs. cost: 51% of respondents cite “managing last-minute changes and cancellations” as their primary operational challenge, significantly outranking concerns regarding high costs (38.6%).
Balance between policy, cost, and productivity: 57.5% of decision-makers prefer using AI that suggests “optimal” itineraries that balance policy, cost, and productivity, over tools that merely offer the cheapest options (32.7%).
Integration as a mandate: 58% of regional travel managers now require seamless integration with HR and finance functions to ensure a unified view of traveller bookings and their spend.
Personalisation over efficiency: Over half of respondents (52.9%) rate hyper-personalisation as “very important”, viewing it as a core efficiency mechanism to reduce decision fatigue.
Why total trip value matters now: The data suggests that minor fare savings can end up as a net loss for the business if it results in traveller fatigue that diminishes performance during high-stakes engagements. As organisations navigate high-cost environments, organisations should pivot toward intelligent, automated ecosystems that prioritise traveller productivity and business resilience.
The 2026 Southeast Asia Business Travel Pulse Survey offers a detailed breakdown of findings across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines — including actionable insights on how organisations can close the expectation gap and unlock total trip value.
It can be downloaded here.
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has unveiled Every Meeting Matters, a global business events campaign following a series of group-wide asset enhancements to its meeting and event spaces.
The repositioning targets a shifting demographic, with Millennials and Gen Z now accounting for over 40 per cent of conference participants. This cohort is driving demand for tech-enabled, wellness-focused, and environmentally responsible event formats.
“Anticipating this post-pandemic shift, we have strengthened our MICE capabilities across our portfolio, from investing in upgraded event spaces to enhancing service delivery and technology,” said Choe Peng Sum, CEO of PPHG.
Strategic investments include the full revitalisation of the 2,500m2 convention floor at Pan Pacific Perth – the city’s largest – and upgrades to the William Pickering Ballroom at Parkroyal Collection Pickering, Singapore.
PPHG’s updated strategy focuses on three core pillars: technology, wellness, and sustainability. The approach integrates high-speed connectivity, immersive LED walls, and infrastructure for seamless hybrid collaboration, while prioritising attendee health through nutritious menus, movement breaks, and spaces designed with natural daylight. To meet increasing mandates in corporate RFPs, the strategy also incorporates carbon-conscious event design, responsible sourcing, and a reduction in single-use items.
“Today’s meeting planners are looking for more than functional venues. They want spaces that inspire creativity, technology that enables seamless collaboration, and experiences that support wellbeing and sustainability.
“Our MICE strategy is centred on delivering experiences that combine all these aspects in a seamless manner. Whether it’s wellness-inspired breaks, advanced hybrid meeting capabilities or locally sourced culinary experiences, we aim to help organisers create meetings that are both productive and memorable,” said Celine Du, chief commercial and marketing officer at PPHG.
Morris Tiedemann has been named general manager of Ayana Midplaza Jakarta.
He brings nearly 30 years of international hospitality experience across Europe, the Middle East and China.
He joins from senior roles with IHG, Wyndham and Rosewood, where he led hotel openings, repositioning and operational performance.
Airalo has launched a self-purchase feature for its corporate solution, Airalo for Business, marking an industry first that allows employees to buy eSIMs directly using corporate or personal cards.
The new decentralised billing function, integrated into the Airalo for Business suite, aims to eliminate the administrative bottleneck of manual eSIM assignments. By toggling to a new “Business Mode” within the app, registered employees can purchase connectivity instantly upon arrival abroad, with transactions automatically syncing to the company’s partner platform.
“Airalo for Business was engineered to ensure teams remain connected without interruption; it is only logical that the payment experience be as seamless as the connectivity itself,” said Stephanie Kazalac, product director for partner experience at Airalo.
The update is designed to accommodate diverse corporate expense policies. For organisations, the “hands-off” management model applies corporate discounts automatically and provides real-time visibility into data usage without subscription fees or minimum spend requirements. The platform also maintains enterprise-grade security, including SOC 2 Type II compliance and SSO integrations.
Laissez-Faire Catering, AV1, and Simply Seated have launched a new collaborative delivery model for large-scale incentive programmes.
The partnership follows the successful execution of a five-day Sydney experience for 500 international guests from Premier Financial Alliance.
The collective approach was established during the programme’s conceptual phase, covering venue engagement, experience design, and delivery across multiple iconic locations. These include Sydney Town Hall, Luna Park, and Carriageworks. At Watersedge, the team executed a full venue transformation featuring a noodle market, neon disco, and speakeasy lounge.
Sara Flaksbard, general manager of Laissez-Faire Catering, noted that early alignment was critical: “This wasn’t about delivering events in isolation. By joining forces from the beginning, we were able to bring the client’s vision to life in a much more cohesive and impactful way.”
Nigel Mintern, managing director of AV1, added that the integrated model allowed the team to push creative boundaries.
Belinda Porra, Founder of Simply Seated, emphasised the bespoke nature of the project, stating that venues were “transformed beyond themselves”, providing guests with a unique experience unlikely to be replicated.
The programme was led by global planner Carol Ann Payne-Johnson, president of The Travel Corner, Inc.
“I’ve been producing events around the world for 38 years, and this became one of the most supported and fascinating programs I’ve ever delivered,” Payne-Johnson said. “The level of collaboration was exceptional, and the result was truly world-class.”
Following this landmark delivery, the three companies will continue to offer this unified model for future major events and international incentive programmes.
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) 2026 is projected to generate a record A$425 million (US$292 million) in business transactions over the next 12 months.
Independent post-show research confirms the figure follows the event’s successful run from February 9 to 11 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
The record-breaking results were driven by a curated matching process that paired 1,500 vetted buyers with 765 exhibitors from 36 countries. Utilising AI-powered scheduling and human expertise, the show facilitated over 25,000 pre-scheduled meetings for more than 5,000 global attendees.
Attendee satisfaction significantly outperformed industry benchmarks. The exhibitor Net Promoter Score (NPS) reached 32.6, tripling the industry standard of 9.6, while the visitor NPS hit 59.4, nearly doubling the 30.6 benchmark.
Talk2 Media & Events’ CEO, Matt Pearce, said: “The projected $425 million in business shows the value of those meetings and the role AIME plays in supporting destinations, venues and suppliers across the Asia Pacific region.”
Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO Julia Swanson added: “The ongoing success of AIME reflects the strength of our local business events industry as well as the capacity for Melbourne to host large-scale trade shows that draw exhibitors and buyers from around the world and generate record-breaking amounts of business.”
As the first major exhibition on the international business events calendar, AIME has already confirmed its return to the MCEC for February 15 to 17, 2027, and February 14 to 16, 2028.
Brought to you by IMEX Frankfurt
IMEX Frankfurt has released the first details of its education programme, held from May 19 to 21, 2026. This year’s focus is a learning line-up designed to meet the industry exactly where it is today – and where it is poised to thrive in the future.
The programme is rooted in real-world examples and shaped by the here and now as Tahira Endean, IMEX’s head of programming, explains: “The world keeps shifting – AI tools and mindsets are reshaping workflows, sustainability requirements are hardening into policy and attendees are arriving with expectations that didn’t exist five, or even three years ago!
“This year’s programme is a direct response to those realities. Not around where the industry has been, but where it is right now, and where it’s heading.”
The full schedule of 11 tracks will be live online in April and planners can mix and match across the tracks to build the learning journey that’s right for them.
Four new tracks will be introduced this year – here is a sneak peek.
Four new tracks to explore at IMEX Frankfurt 2026
1.Designing for Human Needs: This track looks at how to unlock human potential by creating environments where everyone can thrive. With 15 to 20 per cent of the global population estimated to be neurodivergent, inclusive design is one of the topics planned.
A stage director also offers their own take on experience design, using theatrical principles to map the emotional arc of an event; while a session introducing a ‘Joy Meter’ invites planners to measure not just data but emotional uplift – demonstrating how delight can drive both engagement and bottom-line results.
2.Design Matters: This track is rooted in the new IMEX Talking Point, celebrating design as the ultimate differentiator. At the sessions, including show-and-tell tours around the exhibition floor, participants will discover tangible examples of how thoughtful design helps organisations, brands and events stand out and stay memorable. And with the Frankfurt RheinMain region – home to IMEX Frankfurt – named World Design Capital 2026, the focus could not be more timely.
3.Regenerative Design: With ESG reporting now compulsory for many European organisations, practitioners will share the highs and the lows of their sustainability strategies.
They will unpack real-world examples of circular design in action – from material reuse and waste reduction to supplier collaboration and legacy planning – showing how regenerative thinking and practicalities can strengthen an event rather than simply minimise its impact.
4.Tech-enabled Futures: Building on the strong demand for tech and AI learning at last year’s show, this track goes beyond the hype to focus on practical tools, skills and applications that genuinely deliver results.
Industry experts will show planners how to make smart use of their existing ecosystem, consolidating their tech stack and identifying overlapping tools. There is also a deep dive into scams and deepfakes, with advice on how to protect individuals and organisations in a world of fake RFPs, cloned identities and increasingly sophisticated digital threats.
Practical and purposeful education programme
IMEX Frankfurt’s 11 track learning programme balances practical professional development with the personal skills now needed to stay resilient and inspired.
Endean explains: “The industry is balancing the pressure to stay current with tools, trends and compliance alongside the equally urgent need to protect well-being and stay connected to purpose.
“Our tracks reflect this reality: some such as Advanced Event Logistics elevate core skills, while others create space for more human aspects, such as Health and Wellbeing, Leadership and Culture. Each track delivers something tangible – a toolkit, framework, or practice that can be implemented, or a network of people doing similar work who understand the specific challenges.”
Many education sessions offer points toward Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) accreditation, are also CSEP (Certified Special Event Professional) Approved, and ICCASkills accredited.
Find out more about the IMEX Frankfurt education tracks. The full programme goes live online in April. IMEX Frankfurt takes place from May 19 to 21, 2026. Registration is free.
Brought to you by Tourism New Zealand Business Events
Hosted by Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland University of Technology (AUT) alongside iwi manaaki (local tribe) Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) 2025 brought together 3,800 delegates from more than 40 countries.
Participants shared knowledge, culture and ideas, exploring how indigenous worldviews can shape education systems that honour traditional knowledge alongside contemporary innovation.
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is the world’s largest Māori and Polynesian city, and the programme wove Indigenous culture throughout – from the official pōwhiri welcome to bilingual wayfinding across key venue the Aotea Centre, to Te Ao Pūtahi Festival, a free public celebration of Indigenous culture and performance staged in Aotea Square.
Dr Noe Noe Wong‑Wilson, WIPCE International Council chair, said: “Tāmaki Makaurau stood out as host for WIPCE because we knew we would be welcomed warmly by the Māori community. We knew it would be a good place for all of us to convene to exchange knowledge with Indigenous communities from around the world.”
Presentations at the conference ranged from ancestral science and climate action to digital innovation and community wellbeing.
As home to two of New Zealand’s largest universities, Auckland offered fertile ground for cross‑cultural dialogue and research exchange. Delegates also connected with the region’s growing innovation and technology ecosystem, where Indigenous-led thinking increasingly shapes sustainable design, digital storytelling, and environmental management.
WIPCE 2025 keynote speaker Associate Professor Mere Skerrett said:
“Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is a great place to have conversations about science, technology and innovation because it is a melting pot of all sorts of different people.”
“The real success of WIPCE being in Tāmaki Makaurau is the city’s ability to host an event of this scale – nearly 4,000 people. Tāmaki Makaurau delivered,” said Professor Meihana Durie, WIPCE 2025 co‑chair.
Auckland served as a living classroom in the event programme, with delegates immersed in experiences that shared stories of place, ancestry and innovation. Highlights included the All Blacks Experience, waka hourua sailing on Te Waitematā Harbour, a visit to Te Ihu o Mataoho Māori village, and an Indigenous culinary experience at Ōrākei Marae.
Auckland’s accessibility, walkability and seamless visitor experience made a strong impression.
Dr Noe Noe Wong‑Wilson noted: “It’s easy to get to Auckland from around the world and once you arrive here, the airport is only minutes away from the conference venue. Our delegates really enjoyed themselves. Auckland is an absolutely beautiful city, surrounded by water, with lovely architecture, and is energised by people and the nightlife. The Aotea Centre is a jewel for Auckland, and our delegates found it easy to access from whichever hotel they were staying in.”
WIPCE 2025 delivered immediate economic benefits, with 3,800 delegates generating more than 16,600 visitor nights and an estimated $8.275 million in regional economic impact. But its lasting value lies in strengthened global networks in Indigenous education, research and policy.
The conference deepened connections between Auckland-based academics, iwi and international Indigenous institutions, and amplified Māori and Pacific leadership within Aotearoa New Zealand’s education sector.
Want to learn more about hosting your next conference in New Zealand? Visit businessevents.newzealand.com.
